Winter Wanderland

Other BIAs may have pots of flowers or a few strings of lights, but when you are tony Yorkville you have a named performer do an outdoor concert for your Christmas lighting. On Saturday, I headed over to this ritzier part of town for their official welcome of the holidays.

First up was a gaggle of children from nearby Rosedale Junior Public School, bedecked in bright red sweaters. They sang a number of carols, accompanied on the piano, to the beaming faces of the parents at the front. Oddly, instead of doing numerous songs, they did just a handful. However, every single one got the full lyrics treatment including obscure intros and forgotten 3rd, 4th, and even 5th verses. It became a bit surreal to hear such familiar melodies and not knowing the words.

The main show was emceed by two local TV personalities: Leslie Roberts and Carolyn MacKenzie of Global TV. Throughout the concert, they promised cheery songs and Holiday Classics. In which case, Sarah Slean was the wrong choice. Perhaps her elfin features and piano playing made some organizer think Mary Poppins. But Slean (wearing a fitted, embroidered, and silver "Elvis" jacket) was a cross between Tori Amos and a morbid Loreena McKennitt. So her songs not only featured the usual heartbreak and broken relationships, but also had graves, despots, and a world in flames. Accompanied by a band and 9 string players, it was not a typical Christmas concert but kept the crowd engaged. There were plenty of fans though, scruffier than the Yorkville mavens, who sang along and shouted song requests.